65 years ago – 1949
Idyllwild experienced 4 feet of snow over a 10-day period in which temperatures never rose above freezing.

60 years ago – 1954
Willard Payne recalled the early days. He and his wife came for camping trips in 1909 when Fern Valley was waist-deep in ferns with only an occasional tree. Loggers had laid bare the woods through the entire area.

55 years ago – 1959
A section of the famed George Thomas tree measuring 5-1/2 feet in diameter was put on display at Town Hall. The incense cedar tree was estimated to have been more than 800 years old when high winds felled it in 1957.

50 years ago – 1964
Horsemen’s Park at Mountain Center was renamed McCall Park in honor of the late Fred McCall, former county supervisor who had been instrumental in developing the park.

45 years ago – 1969
ISOMATA faculty artists participated in workshops and special programs at the 1969 Fine Arts Festival of the Orme School in Mayer, Ariz.

40 years ago – 1974
The local annual Audubon Society bird count yielded the highest tally since the event began here in 1967. A total of 3,254 birds, representing 85 species, were counted by 36 census takers.

35 years ago – 1979
The “Town talk” question of the week asked whether teenagers should be allowed to hold dances at Town Hall. All the people questioned responded affirmatively, citing the need for some kind of recreational activities for the Hill’s youth.

30 years ago – 1984
A light dusting of snow fell, but not enough to constitute a measurable inch — so the Town Crier’s annual Snow Guessing contest was still on but only four entrants were still eligible to win the prize.

25 years ago – 1989
Retired Army Col. Lewis L. Millett Sr., a Medal of Honor recipient, was invited to the inauguration of George H.W. Bush on Jan. 20.

20 years ago – 1994
Local firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service joined forces with crews from local, state and federal agencies to provide emergency assistance to victims of the Northridge Earthquake.

15 years ago – 1999
The California Highway Patrol set a date of Feb. 1 to have a residential post in Idyllwild.

10 years ago – 2004
Seventh-grader Max Conniff correctly spelled the word “debacle” to win first place in the Idyllwild School annual spelling bee.

5 years ago – 2009
As promised, the Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce discussed replacing the Idyllwild Tree Monument at its Monday evening meeting. While no decision was made at the Jan. 19 meeting, it was clear a majority of the five-member board was not prepared to replace David Roy, who was selected in 2007 to create the next Idyllwild Tree Monument.

1 year ago – 2013
The November confirmation of the Goldspotted oak borer arrival in Idyllwild, 30 miles north of its last point of detection in San Diego County, was almost certainly the result of firewood transported from San Diego County, according to authorities.